Once Before (The Hero Next Door Series Book 3)

by Rebecca King

  ‘Do you have anything to do with Judge Sminter? Or Charles?’ Daniel asked.

  ‘God, no,’ Tabitha snorted. ‘They are all part of their own world and never had any time for me. They sided with father when mother and I left him, and never showed the slightest interest in me either then or now. Why, Sminter lives just a few miles away from here yet has never been by, nor should I expect him to, and I am glad of it. In all the years I have been going about my business, I have never seen him in these parts either and I am glad of that too. They may be distant relations, but they aren’t my distant relations.’

  ‘Tabitha is closer to our side of the family, her mother’s side,’ Mildred added.

  ‘Will you be there when I meet with the solicitor?’ Tabitha asked Daniel. As far as she was concerned, if the Star Elite wanted her to do this then they had to be present throughout.

  ‘Yes, we will be there,’ Daniel assured her.

  ‘But won’t that look suspicious?’ Mildred asked. ‘I mean, Lynchgate knows Tabitha is not married. Everyone does. People will talk if you turn up at the solicitor’s office with her.’

  ‘You can tell anybody who asks that Daniel is Tabitha’s fiancé,’ Hamish offered.

  Daniel turned to stare at Hamish but was painfully aware of the heavy silence that fell over the women. He expected Mildred to bluster and huff in protest, not least because she knew of his past and his lack of title or connections. He expected Tabitha to laugh or dismiss any possibility of that ever being convincing. Instead, she looked rather sad.

  ‘Whatever happens, it would be wise if one of you could be there. You know more about these legal matters than we do,’ Mildred murmured eventually.

  Tabitha squinted at her aunt. Mildred was up to something she just knew it.

  ‘I will go and round up help and arrange for you to meet the solicitor, Tabitha. You, Daniel, I will see later. Ladies.’ Hamish bowed before hurrying out of the door. He was aware of Daniel’s hard gaze piercing the space between his shoulder blades but didn’t look back at him because he didn’t want Daniel to have the opportunity to turn his back on his past, and the stunning young woman he quite clearly still had feelings for.

  Daniel watched his traitor of a friend stalk arrogantly down the path and mount his horse without a care in the world.

  ‘We have six bed chambers in all. How many of your friends will there be?’ Mildred asked politely.

  Daniel turned to look at her. ‘About four, but two will stay in the tavern or nearby. You really don’t need to provide us with accommodation.’

  ‘But you must stay,’ Mildred protested. ‘After what you have just said, I don’t think I will sleep soundly in my bed at night if you don’t. Now, how about a nice drink? I have baked a pie. Would you like some?’

  Daniel opened his mouth to refuse but Mildred had already disappeared apparently having taken his momentary hesitation as confirmation that he would like some. He stared at the empty doorway before turning to look at Tabitha only to find her staring thoughtfully at him.

  ‘Have you been back there?’ she asked.

  Daniel knew where she meant and shook his head. ‘It belongs in the past.’

  Tabitha sucked in a breath and tried to will the hurt that pummelled her to subside enough for her to be able to breathe again. If she wanted to know why he hadn’t tried to find her, even since working with the Star Elite, she now knew. He considered her to be a part of the past he wished to leave behind.

  ‘I came to see you,’ she whispered. ‘That night.’

  Daniel blinked at her. ‘I never knew.’

  ‘I don’t think Master Carpenter told you because he planned for you to leave.’

  ‘Did he hurt you that night? Your father, I mean.’ Daniel’s gaze sharpened.

  Tabitha shook her head. ‘We argued. He locked me in my room, but I managed to get out. I came to see you, but Master Carpenter wouldn’t let me. I left you a note. Did you not get it?’

  ‘No, I didn’t get it.’ Daniel wasn’t at all sure if that was a good thing or not. He offered her what turned out to be a parody of a smile. ‘It would have been useless anyway, even if I had received it, because I couldn’t read.’

  Tabitha sucked in a breath. ‘I am sorry. I didn’t think.’

  ‘There isn’t much opportunity for education at the workhouse. While we were supposed to be educated and receive adequate food and shelter, the children were put to good use just as soon as we were old enough to work. Thankfully, Master Carpenter allowed me to run errands for him that didn’t require me to read or write,’ Daniel explained.

  ‘But you do now,’ Tabitha murmured quietly, unsure why she felt the need to ask. ‘Read and write that is.’

  ‘When I arrived at the lodging house, I did various jobs. In the evening, Miss Carpenter taught me how to read and write,’ he explained. ‘I perfected the skill whenever I had the time once I had joined the army.’

  ‘And now you work for the Star Elite, the country’s finest and most heroic fighting organisation,’ Tabetha smiled.

  Daniel coughed uncomfortably and looked a little bashful. ‘When we returned from the war, most of us found that we couldn’t resume normal lives again. We had seen too much, done too much to ever go back to the lives we had. For me, that was a blessing. I had no intention of ever going back to the life I had before the war. When the opportunity arose to join the Star Elite, I didn’t hesitate to take it. I underwent training for a few years and joined in with investigations with another team. When I was fully trained, I was given my own investigations to conduct.’

  ‘So why are the Star Elite from London interested in the death of a cotton mill owner from Leicestershire?’ Tabitha asked. ‘Why isn’t the magistrate for Leicestershire dealing with it, especially if Muldoon’s death looks like murder?’

  ‘Because the magistrate has links with Lynchgate,’ Daniel informed her and smiled when Tabitha groaned. After a moment, she decided to ask him what she really wanted to know. ‘Why did you move back to Leicestershire if you wanted to leave everything behind?’

  ‘I moved from London because I wanted a change,’ Daniel replied honestly. ‘The smog, the grimy streets, the gloom and doom, just became too claustrophobic.’

  ‘Of all the places in the country you could have chosen to live in you decided to return to Leicestershire anyway regardless of your past,’ she said softly, a little confused by the contradiction.

  Daniel knew exactly why he had come back to Leicestershire regardless of the past. She was standing directly in front of him. But it was far too soon in their new acquaintance to tell her that. He would – one day – just as soon as the investigation was over. For now, he had to keep his mind on the reason why he was there, and it wasn’t just Tabitha Lynchgate.

  ‘When the opportunity to join the local team arose, I agreed to return to Leicestershire because it is an area that I am familiar with. I used to run all over the towns and villages around Marlton. I doubt it has changed that much since I left,’ Daniel smiled.

  ‘I wouldn’t know seeing as I haven’t been back and have no intention of ever doing so,’ Tabitha countered.

  ‘Ever?’

  ‘Ever.’

  ‘Tabitha.’

  Tabitha whirled around at the urgency in her aunt’s voice.

  ‘It’s him. He is here. Look.’ Mildred pointed to the window.

  Tabitha hurried to the window and stared with wide eyes at the carriage that was pulling up directly outside the house. She knew who it was the second she saw the horribly familiar driver sitting high on the driver’s seat.

  ‘It’s Lynchgate,’ she cried in dismay.

  Whirling around, Tabitha stared at Daniel with such horror that he immediately closed the distance between them and gathered her into his arms without thinking about what he was doing. Tabitha instinctively clung to him. She had no idea why. With anybody else she would have been embarrassed, shocked even, by her own waywardness. With Daniel, it felt right to seek his c
omfort, and wonderful that he offered it so readily.

  ‘Don’t allow him to see how worried you are,’ Daniel murmured soothingly. ‘You can deal with this.’

  ‘Does that man never listen to anything anybody says to him?’ She wailed.

  While she knew it was foolish to allow anybody to have this much control over her, Tabitha couldn’t contain her fear of what might happen over the next few moments.

  ‘Well, he isn’t coming into this house,’ Mildred growled with a militant glare.

  ‘Wait!’ Daniel called but kept his gaze locked on Tabitha. ‘We are not sixteen years old anymore, Tabitha. He cannot hurt us, either me or you. We are both old enough to be ourselves, and don’t have to account to him for anything. Besides, don’t forget that I work for the Star Elite. If he puts one foot out of place, I will arrest him for threatening an officer of His Majesty’s Government, but please don’t tell him what I do just yet. He will find out, but not now.’

  Tabitha blinked at him in awe and felt some of her fear dissipate. ‘Can you do that? Arrest him, I mean?’

  Daniel grinned at her. ‘Times change,’ he whispered.

  He placed a tender kiss on her forehead but stared at the carriage outside with eyes that were hard and ruthless. When he turned to the door a few seconds later, Daniel was a completely different man to the one who had been so tenderly holding Tabitha.

  Tabitha and Mildred looked at each other in shock when they noticed the change in Daniel’s entire demeanour. The gentle, kind, even loving man he had been had disappeared completely. They both knew that they were now meeting Daniel, the ruthless investigator with the Star Elite, and David Lynchgate’s worst enemy.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ‘Wait until the man knocks, please,’ Daniel ordered Mildred quietly. ‘Don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that you have been waiting for him or have been made nervous by his arrival. Don’t make him welcome by having the door open expectantly when he arrives on the doorstep. Lynchgate is likely to see it as an open invitation and walk straight in. Take your time answering the door when he has knocked. Leaving him waiting puts him in his place and makes it clear that this is your house and you are in control of it.’

  Mildred nodded and retreated to the kitchen leaving Tabitha and Daniel to look at each other.

  ‘I think Hamish is right. We should present Lynchgate with a united front. You are old enough to not need your father’s permission to wed, so we have no cause to call upon him should we choose to get married,’ Daniel told her, although why he was going along with the ruse Hamish suggested was beyond him.

  He suspected a part of him wanted to defy David Lynchgate and show him that despite his brutality toward him as a young man, Lynchgate was in no way in any position of power over him as an adult and never would be.

  ‘Do you really think that going through with the pretence is a good idea?’

  Before Daniel could answer, David Lynchgate knocked on the front door. ‘We have to,’ he replied, his gaze pleading with her not to deny him.

  Tabitha opened her mouth to speak only to sigh heavily when Lynchgate, after one brief knock, began to knock again without barely giving anyone the time to reach the door.

  ‘Let the man wait,’ Daniel repeated. ‘He has seen us through the window and knows we are aware he is here. He is annoyed we haven’t already answered the door.’

  ‘But he is not welcome here.’

  ‘He knows. What we don’t do is tell him anything about the factory. If he asks if you have the keys yet tell him that is none of his business. If he asks you anything about your inheritance from Muldoon, tell him that is none of his business either. He is not to leave this house furnished with any facts. You must make it clear that he does not have your permission to go anywhere near the factory. From what I have been able to ascertain from Muldoon’s solicitor, Lynchgate does not have access to the premises because Muldoon requested the man be banned from the place.’

  ‘He knew I didn’t like my father, didn’t he? Mr Muldoon that is,’ Tabitha whispered with a shiver.

  ‘Yes, but I can see no reason why he would knowingly put you in danger. He has given you those shares for a reason and not because he trusts your father, but most probably because he knows you don’t trust Lynchgate either,’ Daniel reasoned, hoping that what he said made sense.

  Thankfully, Mildred had been standing in the doorway listening to what he had said. She nodded sagely as if she supported his theory and made no attempt to answer the door even on the third knock. Instead, she looked at Daniel, clearly waiting for his approval to answer her own front door.

  ‘Sit down and try to appear calm if aloof,’ Daniel urged Tabitha quietly. ‘I am going to be right here. He cannot force you to do anything now. You are a lady in your own right, an adult, and incredibly wealthy. You don’t need his approval or permission for anything so have nothing to fear from him.’

  Tabitha felt sick. She nodded but her movements were jerky. She was so busy staring down at her twisted fingers, mangled together to stop them trembling, that she didn’t see Daniel nod briskly at Mildred, who immediately disappeared to answer the door.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Mildred snapped contemptuously when she opened her front door. She positioned herself in the gap between the door and the doorframe to physically block Lynchgate from being able to walk in and glared malevolently at him.

  ‘Mildred Quigley, as I live and breathe,’ Lynchgate drawled, raking her with a look that was insulting yet lecherous.

  Mildred curled her lip. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Is that any way to greet a relative? Am I not permitted to rest my weary bones having travelled all this way to come and see you?’ Lynchgate sneered.

  ‘I wasn’t expecting you. Clearly nobody has taught you any manners yet. Trust you to be so ill bred you take it upon yourself to call upon people without first gaining written permission,’ Mildred snapped. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘I would like to see my daughter,’ Lynchgate murmured sarcastically. ‘If that is all right with you, of course.’

  ‘It isn’t all right with me,’ Mildred snarled. ‘But I am sure that Tabitha is more than able to decide if she wishes to see you.’

  With that, Mildred stepped out of the doorway. She had the brief impression of Lynchgate stepping forward to follow her before she took the supreme satisfaction of slamming the door in his face. With a smirk, she threw the door a dark glare and returned to the sitting room.

  ‘The oaf wants in,’ Mildred announced without preamble.

  Daniel grinned at her and threw a rueful look at Tabitha. ‘The oaf wants in,’ he repeated, his grin widening.

  ‘How can you find it amusing, either of you?’ Tabitha asked, rolling her eyes in disbelief. But her lips twitched. She was secretly grateful that they were trying to lighten the atmosphere. Shaking her head chidingly at them both she waited until Lynchgate had finished knocking again before announcing: ‘You had better let him in then.’

  Daniel winked at her and watched a tell-tale blush stain Tabitha’s cheeks. She looked decidedly pretty, dressed in a fine day gown of cream cotton liberally adorned with small pink rosebuds. With her auburn hair swept up in a high halo of curls she looked the epitome of an elegant lady of refinement, although one who couldn’t quite hide the fear in her eyes.

  ‘Tabitha,’ Daniel whispered, quickly bending down until his face was level with hers.

  Tabitha’s gaze jerked up to meet his. She gasped when he grinned at her and promptly dropped a kiss on her lips, which lingered a fraction longer than it ought to. Dazed, she watched Daniel stand up and didn’t even notice Lynchgate stalk arrogantly into the room.

  The second that David Lynchgate set eyes on Daniel standing tall and proud before the fireplace he froze as if completely disbelieving of what he saw. His mouth opened for a second before his bullish features turned puce. His narrow eyes turned mean as he raked Daniel with a sneering look only to hesitate when he noticed t
he expensive, fashionable tailoring of Daniel’s clothing. He frowned a little, as if struggling to understand it. When he met Daniel’s eyes, he was a little more thoughtful but lost none of his arrogant contempt.

  ‘Lynchgate,’ Daniel growled.

  Tabitha eyed the changes the passing years had wrought upon her father. Considerably rounder in the stomach, he was far squatter than she could remember. His neck had long since departed having been hidden beneath his greed by rolls of fat which quivered and wobbled whenever he moved his mouth. His narrow eyes appeared to have been made meaner by pudgy cheeks which made him look like he had a mouthful of food. For a second, she didn’t recognise him as the man she had been forced to share a house with as a child. What she did recognise was that mean look on his face; the spite in his eyes; the curling of his thin lips.

  Tabitha nodded regally and did her best to keep her face impassive when he bowed to her. But when he pierced her with his steady regard she struggled not to squirm. Determined not to allow him to see how unsettled she was, Tabitha tipped her chin up and speared him with a look that was full of the cold contempt she felt for him.

  ‘What do you want?’ she demanded without offering him a seat.

  Lynchgate stalked over to the chair opposite her and plonked his ample girth down onto it without being asked. He gazed about the room as if trying to judge if it was suitable for his purposes. Tabitha threw Mildred a warning look when she began to get all flustered and hovered uncertainly in the doorway, as if trying to decide whether to throw him out or not.

  ‘Is that any way to treat your father? We have not seen each other for years, my dear,’ Lynchgate boomed in a voice that was so loud it made everyone wince. ‘Am I not even to be greeted with a cordial welcome?’